I am walking
by BarelyTolerated
Summary: A short story on what I think it would be like If I were walking in the woods with Slender man behind me. Slender man how I think it should be, scary not romance. Rated T because there is some swearing and horror themes.


Today is Wednesday. The only day of the week I get any time off. The day I usually pay bills, see friends, shop. The day i sometimes spend alone wallowing in my self-pity since the break-up. Todays Wednesday is neither of these things. Today I am afraid. Terrified.  
I am walking, I have walked for so long my feet ache and my legs itch from the scratches. Courtesy of the local fauna. It isn't completely dark yet, I stand on a fallen log and stare at the distant sky. The sunset is beautiful but does little to comfort me. I know the light will soon disappear. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. The ground is wet, soaked from the rain. I take care not to slip when I jump from the log, I land in a puddle of mud and scowl at myself for being so stupid. Dirty and exhausted, just perfect. Just what I wanted. Everything has been so fucking wonderful since... _No, don't go there. Not yet._  
I take another deep breath, the prickling in my eyes warns me of tears to come but I hold them back. Instead I dig my fingernails into my hands and focus on the pain. Then I walk and walk and then some.  
I'm sure I'm walking in circles but I can't really tell anymore. It was an hour ago when I found a page stuck to a dead tree. Strange how dry it was despite the rain. Even stranger was the scribbling scrawled across it.  
_'Can't Run.'_  
As I read the words something in the pit of my stomach stirs. Fear? I fingered the edge of the paper, something is wrong.  
This paper, this place. It's wrong. And yet I could not stop myself from taking it. Even now I don't have the strength to throw it away, it lies crumpled in my pocket.  
I feel heavy and the forest seems all the more sinister. It's almost oppressive. I look up at the sky again and the branches seem to shift and bend above me. The creaking makes me nervous so I bring my eyes back down to the forest floor and quickly scan my surroundings for anything familiar. I see nothing and that ball of lead in my stomach gets all the heavier. It is cold now and it is dark. My breath hangs in the air and I start to shiver. My arms have Goosebumps and I rub them furiously but it does little to warm me. I am walking again. I listen to my footsteps, I play a little game and count the steps._ One, two, One, two._  
I stop. I hear something, something behind in the distance. I turn my head and stare into mist. _When did it become so foggy_? I squint and peer through my own eyelashes but see nothing but my breath lingering in the air. A cold feeling runs up my spine, the hairs on my neck stand up. I stare into the darkness, something shifts ever so slightly in the corner of my eye. I look in that direction, there is nothing but I feel sick from fear. I can feel the sweat on my forehead ever so slowly trickling. All of a sudden I am so very thirsty, my neck feels scratchy and I feel like screaming. In a last-ditch effort at being brave I shout "Who's there? Come out_, this isn't funny!"_  
Something snaps in the distance, the creaking above gets louder. I wait. Panic builds in me as I listen to a steady thudding. They're getting closer I think. Something snaps again and this time I run. I run as fast as I can, terrified of the hidden horror. I keep my hands spread out in front of me, i can barely see and run into more than a few trees. I am running and now I am crying. I can't stop the screech for help that escapes my throat. I think of my boyfriend, _ex-boyfriend_ and wish that more than anything that he was here with me. My chest heaves with the effort, I am not the athletic type. My nose becomes clogged and I find it hard to breathe, the tears cloud my vision. Suddenly I am face down in the dirt._ I tripped?_ My legs hurt, really hurt and I sob all the louder. I cover my mouth and tell myself to shut up and listen. Nothing. The wind blows gently, drying the sweat on my forehead. I feel like laughing. _Nothing? You were scared for nothing you stupid cow! _The laughter builds in my chest but I contain it, just in case. _What if they hear me?_ I pull myself to my feet and spot a faint light in the distance. A house!  
I jog towards it, ignoring the pain in my shins. Definitely a building of some sort. Why build it here? Miles into the forest? Moths flicker around the light and I too find myself basking in it. At least I feel safe in the light, even if said safety is imagined. Feeling better I scan the outside of the building. It's pretty derelict. The paint peeling, grime and all sorts drip from the overflowing gutters above. There are no windows I notice. Just a door frame. No door... _No door?_ I peer inside and the smell of rot is over-powering. I take a few steps in and find that the air is humid and clammy. At least it's safe I think. Keeping my hand on the wall I slowly walk down what seems to be a corridor, my eyes adjust ever so slightly to the dark and I don't feel so helpless. I feel my way along, squinting into the darkness. I see a white rectangle. A look of puzzlement spreads on my features and I lift my hands to grasp it only to recoil in horror when I read the words scrawled across it.  
"_Don't look or it takes you"_  
My body shakes and I have an overwhelming sensation to empty my bowels. The tears swell in my eyes. I want to run but I can't. Something pulls me towards the paper, I can't even look away. I swallow hard and snatch it from the wall and rip it into pieces. The air suddenly turns electric. I hear a kind of thumping in the distance. It does not stop. _Hide._  
I run through the corridors blindly, which way was out? The smell, God the smell. I stop. A dead-end. I feel tiles on the wall, maybe a bathroom? I look around but there is nothing. _N__o windows.._ _What do I do?_ _Breathe, calm down, think for fuck sake_! _Back track, find the door and run._ I walk out the room  
and find myself rooted to the spot. I look down the corridor and there is a figure in the shadows. I can barely make it out but It looks human though it's head nearly touches the ceiling. Silence. It doesn't move. I can barely breathe. The thudding in the distance seems all the louder. A pain in my temples grows as I continue to stare. Fresh tears spill and I feel warmth spreading down my legs. I glance down, I have pissed myself but I don't care. I run back into the tiny room and cower in the corner. Thudding. Oh god the thudding is so close now.  
I hear it move through the corridor. I scream. I am hysterical. I see the figure enter the room. The pounding in my head gets worse. I'm going to be sick.  
_Thud thud_. I am trembling, screaming and crying. It grows long black things from its back. The figure gets bigger, the thudding louder.  
My head feels like it is about to split, I curl into a ball. Feel the paper in my pocket crumple. _All this, all of this for a bit of fucking paper?_ I scream one more time.  
Then I am gone.


End file.
